


Master the Tune

by jesuchrist



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22132840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuchrist/pseuds/jesuchrist
Summary: Losing Saria was probably one of the worst things that ever happened to Link. The only thing he has left to do with his life is fight, fight, and fight again. Rauru told him someone would help him along the way, but it's difficult to stay focused on the task at hand with a partner as endearing as Sheik.
Relationships: Link & Saria (Legend of Zelda), Link & Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 2





	1. Waking Up

“Great Deku Tree, you can’t go now…” 

Link wakes up in a sweat. His heart is racing as fast as it was in his first battle. His golden locks rest against his moist forehead, dripping. 

“You’ve been asleep for quite some time.”

Link panics. He leaps out of his former position and prepares to fight, although he is unarmed. “Who the hell are you?! And where am I?” 

“Very funny. Sit down, child. My name is Rauru,” the tall, stout figure states while stroking his silver beard, “and I have news for you. It might be quite unsettling, so you might want to sit down for this one.” 

Still frantic and confused, Link sits down. Carefully, Rauru explains Link’s mission: save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s repressive regime. Seems straightforward enough. Simple kick the bad guy’s ass, become a hero, drinks, parties, celebration. Easy enough; Link’s done it before. Wrong. 

Link has been asleep for seven years and now stands on the holy ground of the Sacred Realm. Who would’ve thought? Turns out, he’ll have to kick _several_ asses. Not to mention, identify five sages. If not, Hyrule will suffer in the hands of Ganondorf.

Essentially, the fate of an entire nation is in the hands of one man, who still barely knows anything about himself. 

“But...why me? Why not some other Hyrulian? You do know about the situation with the Koki…” 

“Yes, Link. I’m aware. You are the single most chivalrous and other-wordly creature of our community. Hyrule needs you.” 

“Well, don’t flatter me.” Link blushes as he snickers. “Still, I have no help.” 

“That there,” Rauru motions to a sword lodged in a great stone, “is the Master Sword. You shall wield it. With it, you will have tremendous strength and power. You will also have the Hylian Shield to protect you from the enemies’ fury. Any further questions, Sherlock?”

“Actually, no.” “What a smartass,” Link murmurs under his breath. “You really expect me to save all of Hyrule with one sword and one shield? What kind of bullshit is this? I need actual help. People. Armies, even. Anything.”

“Not to worry. I will follow you in the form of an owl, and you’ll have more help along the way. Besides, you have Navi.”

Navi lights up and glitters in excitement. 

“Are you sure you chose the right person?”

“We’re sure.”

“Who’s we?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, Link.”


	2. Meeting Sheik

Link lets out a deep sigh before he approaches the Master Sword. “Easy. Some oil around the edges will do the trick. Smack that on, and taking that sword out is as simple as one, two, three. Voila.” 

“And who gave you the smart idea of using oil? You’ve been asleep for seven years, there’s no oil for God-knows-how-many miles,” Navi teases. 

“Hey, Deku gave you to me, and I can give you back. Cut the sass, will you?”

Even while threatening Navi, Link knows the fairy is right. He’ll have to use the pure force of his upper body. 

Link approaches the great stone and takes a look at it. Something so secret, so precious, so...valuable. All his. If he can only get it out on the first try.

Link positions his right foot on the ledge of the stone and his left foot behind him. He carefully places his hands on the hilt, takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. Immediately, Link begins to pull, so intensely that the veins on his biceps appear above his skin, blue as the ocean. Surprisingly, the sword comes out within a few seconds. 

“Ah! You see! Not as weak as you thought I was, am I?” Link sticks out his tongue at Navi. 

In Navi’s light, Link notices an unfamiliar figure lurking in the background. It seems to have been there for quite a while, perhaps watching Link. Maybe trying to steal the sword.

“Get away, you foul creature! This is no place for you! Out, out!”

“Calm down. I’m only here for the party.” 

“Who are you? I’m tired of you guys just showing up uncalled for.” 

At that, the figure steps into the light, revealing a head of messy, blonde hair and skin-tight armor. 

“The name’s Sheik, and I—” 

“Uh, nice to know, hi, I’m Link. And you’re here for…? No, that’s okay. You don’t need to explain. Rauru probably sent you or…”

“Link…”

“...something, and you’re probably here to help me, I mean, that’s what he said, anyway. Oh, I should tell you a bit about myself. So, technically, I’m of Hylian descent…”

“Link—”

“...but I grew up as a Kokiri. Actually, I thought I was a Kokiri most of my life. I didn’t get my first fairy for a long time, either. Look, she’s over there, Navi. I would like to tell you my age and all, but I actually don’t know how old I am. It’s a long…”

“Link!”

“Oh, sorry, I kind of cut you off. What were you going to say?”

“So Rauru explained your mission, correct?”

“Roger that.” 

“Do me a favor, and don’t ever say that again. So you know you’re looking for the five sages then, right?”

“Yeah, but forget about the mission for a minute, I want to know more about y—”

Link notices that Sheik is gone. 

“Wait, where did he go? He was here one minute, and then, poof, he’s gone. How…?”

Navi glows a bright pink. 

“Are you trying to suggest I have some sort of a romantic attraction to this guy?”

“You said it, not me.”


	3. Saria?

“Listen, you can’t tell anyone, you hear? Nobody knows that I’m...Besides, my heart is reserved for Saria, and who knows where the hell she is.”

Link fidgets with his emerald sleeves. He hasn’t felt this way since he first laid eyes on Saria. Beautiful blue-eyed, green-haired Saria. She was quite a sight to behold. But her appearance matched her trade, so it made enough sense. Saria was the most selfless, reliable friend Link ever had. Maybe even his only friend, besides Navi. His best friend.

Link takes out his ocarina from his pocket and traces his fingers along its rough surface. It’s the only thing that brings back memories of Saria. The last thing Saria gave him that he could hold, feel her warmth with. Playing it was the only way he could remember her scent, her sparkling eyes, her soft complexion…

Link suddenly remembers that Saria gave him a song to play whenever he needed her. He mostly played it when he was feeling lonely, on those particular nights when the only way to cope with pain is by hearing the voice of another. Link rests his fingers on the openings in the ocarina. They’re perfectly placed; this is clockwork for Link. With that, he begins to play.

The room is filled with pleasant sounds, bouncing off the walls of the temple. The noises fill Link’s ears, and a wide smile appears on his face.

“Saria, how’s it going?”

Link’s voice echoes as he waits for a response. Nothing. Navi can tell Link is confused.

“Maybe you played it wrong? Try again.”

Link plays Saria’s Song again, this time with more passion. Again, nothing.

Link throws himself against the wall and dramatically shoves his head into the crevice of his knees. His voice wavers as he speaks. “If Saria’s not with me, then who is? Ever since I was placed on this shithole of an earth, it seems like my life has just been one godawful event after another. I’m sick of it, so sick of it. I’m a sorry excuse for a ‘hero,’ or whatever these people call it. One of the crappiest feelings is to feel like you’ve let someone down, especially someone you care about, someone who trusts you. And look at me, I killed Deku. No doubt that other people will die in my hands, too. It’s just deep-seated disappointment after that. One self-deprecating thought after another…”

Navi glows a dark blue.

“Aww, sorry, bud, didn’t mean to make you feel sad. I’m like a broken faucet.”

“No, don’t worry about it, I just get really agitated when you—”

Navi’s light blinks. “Forget about it. New mission. Off to the Forest Temple.”


	4. A Sage Above All Creatures

Link goes into his first “save Hyrule” battle with little confidence or determination. The only motivation he has for going forward with his mission is the fact that he has this tremendous burden hanging over him. It’s there all night and all day, so much so that it’s difficult for him to rest in peace. As homely and cozy as his little wooden cabin is, fear suffocates his every thought. Fighting is no longer a hobby as it was when he was a child; it’s his career. 

“Seems like ripping apart these Stalfos will be easier than finding Sheik again,” Link tells Navi, with a sense of despondency in his broken voice.

Navi sighs. Frankly, she’s tired of hearing Link’s low-spirited comments every day. Not that she denies his capacity to feel, but...It’s difficult to watch someone who you have such a close attachment to deteriorate, mentally or physically, and it seems as if Link is experiencing both. Navi’s love for Link is platonic, of course; she’s only a pocket-sized fairy, after all. 

No matter how much he loathes himself, Link still manages to make the art of battling seem painless. Within only a few minutes, tons of Wolfos, Stalfos, and every other beast imaginable lie motionless on the floor. No amount of strength can compare to Link’s expertise in handling the Master Sword.

The battles that deal the most damage on Link are those that include phantoms or any kind of flying creature, especially Keese. They probably seem like the easiest enemies to defeat, but Link’s Hookshot aim is, well,...unsatisfactory, to say the least. A great, supernatural hero like Link has to come with at least one defect. (In his eyes, he was born with far too many.)

After conquering the four Poes and Phantom Ganon, Link is beat. He sits on the cold, dusty floor, panting and gasping for air. “On the bright side,” Link laughs, “I guess this won’t be an unexciting journey.”

Navi shines. “That’s the spirit!”

A bright, sea-colored portal opens up and calls out Link’s name. “Link…Link….Link…”

“It’s either a trap or a reward, but, fuck it, I’m going in. Come on, Navi.”

Link runs toward the portal and hops in, eager to see what awaits him on the other side. The room goes dark for a few seconds, and then a brilliant green light appears at a distance. 

“Sorry I didn’t answer your call yesterday.”

Link recognized that voice anywhere. Link grins from ear to ear. “What were you doing, Saria, hugging trees again?”

They both howl in amusement. “Very funny. Missed me, did you?” 

“Yeah. Enough to make someone want to shrivel up and...Hey, where are we, anyway?”

“You remember that whole thing Rauru told you about the ‘five sages’? Well, welcome to paradise.”

“Oh, neat. So what are you, the security guard or something?”

Saria smacks her forehead. “Dumbass. I’m a Sage, for Christ’s sake.”

Link’s eyes widen. “Your Majesty,” he teases as he curtsies with his tunic.

“Men don’t curtsy, men bow.”

“Good thing I’m not a real man.”

Saria groans. “Everywhere you go, you drag that negative aura with you. Have you not realized who you are? I don’t think I need to remind you, but you’re Link, savior of the Hyruleans, the Kokiri, and, virtually, everyone worldwide. How will you fare while I’m gone?”

“What do you mean ‘while I’m gone’?”

“Link, I’m a Sage now. I don’t think I’ll ever be back at the Kokiri Forest.”

“Oh, I see.” Link clenches his fists as tears run down his burning cheeks. 

“But don’t worry, you have my song and this.” Saria hands Link the Forest Medallion. It’s almost as green and shiny as her hair. “Call me anytime you need a friend.”

“So, we’ll never see each other again?”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Well if this is the last time I see you, I have one more question.”

“Ask away.”

“Before any of this happened, Mido told me you may have been attracted to me, romantically, I mean. Is that true?”

“...”

The room turns pitch black again, and Link is back in the Forest Temple. Link begins to sob. His cries are agonizingly loud. At that, Navi’s light blinks again.

“Cheer up, Link. We have to head back to the Temple of Time.”


End file.
